Some people assume that speed bumps and speed humps are the same thing. If you take a look at them carefully, you will figure out that speed bumps and speed humps are two different things. You should have a clear understanding about the difference at the time of purchasing them as well. Then you can pick the ideal option according to your purpose and go ahead with using it.

What are speed humps?

Speed humps are also known as undulations or road humps. You will be able to find them in the roads where there are speed zones in between 10 to 15 mph. In other words, you can often find these in the connector roads and local streets, where you will need to ensure a smooth flow of traffic. On the other hand, speed humps are useful to be used in situations where excessive speed can cause danger to the pedestrians. This is the main reason on why you can find speed humps in the school zones and playgrounds. They are quite useful in terms of traffic management and serving the purpose.

How does a speed hump work?

A speed hump would deliver a gentle rocking sensation to a car that drives over it. However, the sensation that a driver has to face is much strong when the car is being driven at a higher speed. This is the main reason on why the drivers tend to slow down when they are driving on top of a speed hump. In case if the car is driving at a speed that is unsafe for the pedestrians, the hump will be able to jar the car as well as its contents. In other words, all the occupants will have to experience discomfort. This would cause disruption to the cargo placed within the car as well.

You will usually be able to see how the speed humps are spanning in the lane where they are positioned. This would encourage vehicles to pass on top of the speed hump along with both wheels. That can effectively reduce the possibility of bottoming out at the time of driving over a speed hump.

It is possible for you to purchase speed humps in different travel lengths and profiles as well. You should take a look at the extent of discomfort that you are willing to create and purchase the best speed humps available out there. The average length of a speed hump is in between 3 feet and 20 feet. You will often be able to see how the speed humps are placed in a series. This would help to reduce the speed of vehicles throughout a longer distance.

What are speed bumps?

Speed bumps are a pretty aggressive method available out there to control the speed of the vehicles and make them slow down. Due to the same reason, you can often find how speed bumps are placed in areas where the cars and pedestrians are sharing closely. In other words, you can discover speed bumps in driveways and parking lots.

The main functionality of a speed bump is to slow down the speed of a vehicle up to around 2 mph to 10 mph. This will provide both drivers as well as the pedestrians the chance to react safety at any given situations. It is not usually possible to see speed bumps on the public roads. That’s because a vehicle should come to a near stop in order to get through a speed bump. In case if a vehicle traveling at a regular speed goes over the speed bump, it will end up with encountering damage.

How does a speed bump work?

The average height of a speed bump is from 2 inches to 4 inches. However, they are also offering a shorter travel distance when compared to the speed humps. The standard width of a speed bump usually ranges from six inches to two feet. Due to the dimensions, speed bumps are in a position to create abrupt bounces to the vehicles. This will be able to deliver shake to cargo as well as the occupants.

Speed bumps can be positioned at regular intervals with the objective of reducing the overall speed of the vehicles. However, most people tend to place the speed bumps judiciously. This will provide them the opportunity to overcome the uncomfortable nature of going over the speed bumps. These speed bumps can deliver a shock. Hence, you should be careful about that at the time of using them in any application.

What is the right option out of speed bumps and speed humps?

Now you have a good understanding about the differences that exist in between speed humps and speed bumps. If you are planning to reduce the speed of the vehicles that are traveling on the road, you should be using speed humps. On the other hand, people who want to bring the vehicles to a standstill at any given time can think about using speed bumps. You don’t usually install speed bumps on the roads. They are designed to be installed on the parking lots and other similar environments.

A speed bump is not ideal for day to day traffic. Hence, you should make sure that you are not installing a speed bump in an area, where lots of traffic is moving by. It would bring the traffic to a standstill and cause a massive traffic jam. The best option available for you to consider for such applications would be speed humps.

No matter what, you should refrain from installing wither speed bumps or speed humps in the emergency or arterial roads out there. That’s because these obstacles can be a hazard to the vehicles that are traveling. For example, these obstacles can make the drivers lose control over their vehicles and run into accidents, especially at the time of traveling at faster speeds.